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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bass — the fish
  3. game — wild animals
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. race — humankind
  7. row — to paddle
  8. race — a contest
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. row — a line
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. game — a match
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com